The verdict in three sentences
A successful migration (CMS change, domain change or URL restructure) rests on a 1:1 mapping and rigorous 301 redirects. In 2026 in Singapore, an SEO migration engagement costs SGD/USD 4 000-14 000 depending on URL volume. Target: traffic loss under 10 % over 3 months, with 90-day monitoring after cutover.
The migration checklist in 2026
A migration is run by milestones. Here is the standard checklist and when each task happens.
| Stage | Key task | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Full crawl, URL inventory | D-30 |
| Mapping | 1:1 table old to new | D-20 |
| Redirects | 301 rules tested in staging | D-10 |
| Cutover | Sitemap, robots.txt, GSC | Day 0 |
| Verification | Post-cutover crawl, 404 codes | D+1 to D+3 |
| Monitoring | Positions, indexing, traffic | D+90 |
The most critical phase is mapping: every URL with traffic or backlinks must point to its closest equivalent, never en masse to the homepage.
Price by migration scope
Cost depends on URL volume and the change (CMS, domain, structure). 2026 order of magnitude.
| Migration type | URLs | Cost (SGD/USD) | Project duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple CMS change | < 200 | 4 000 - 6 000 | 3-4 weeks |
| Rebuild + new structure | 200 - 2 000 | 6 000 - 9 500 | 4-6 weeks |
| Domain + CMS change | 2 000 - 10 000 | 9 500 - 14 000 | 6-10 weeks |
| International/multilingual | > 10 000 | 14 000+ | 8-12 weeks |
| Bordeaux (equivalent) | - | EUR 3 000-10 000 | 3-10 weeks |
Mini case study
Wei Ling, e-marketing director at a B2B site in Singapore, migrates from WordPress to Next.js with 1 500 URLs and 60 000 SEO visits/month. She invests SGD 9 000 in a managed migration. Thanks to 1:1 mapping and 301s, loss is limited to 6 % in month one, fully recovered by month 3 (versus a typical 25-40 % loss without a plan). On traffic valued at USD 30/lead and 2 % conversion, avoiding a 30 % drop preserves roughly USD 10 800/month of value: the investment pays back within the first week after cutover.
FAQ
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What traffic loss is acceptable during a migration?
A good project targets under 10 % temporary loss, recovered within 2 to 3 months. Above 20 % signals an incomplete mapping or badly implemented redirects.
Should all old URLs be redirected?
All those with traffic, backlinks or indexing. Valueless URLs (parameters, obsolete pages) can be deliberately removed with 410, which cleans up the crawl.
How long should 301 redirects stay in place?
At least 12 months, ideally permanently. Google eventually transfers the value, but removing 301s too early breaks the link to historical backlinks.
When is a migration confirmed successful?
After 60 to 90 days, once positions and organic traffic have returned to their previous level, or above thanks to the new stack's performance gains.
Can we migrate and redesign at the same time?
Yes, but we separate variables as much as possible: ideally we keep the URL structure, or document every change to isolate the SEO effect from the design effect.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your current CMS, target and URL volume: we price a managed migration with 1:1 mapping and 90-day monitoring. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
